Sanitary collapsible fruit-box.



R. B. McKEE. I SA'NITARY COLLAPSIBLE FRUIT BOX.

APPLICATION FILED QCT. 2Q. 1915,

Patented Jan. 1, 1918;

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ROBERT B. MOKEE, OF DES KOIHES, IOWA.

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Specification of Letters Patent.-

Patented Jan. 1, 1918.

Application filed October 20, 1916. Serial No. 57,007.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Rosana B. MoKnn, a citizen of the United States, residing atDes Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented a'certam new and useful Sanitary Collapsible Fllllt-BOX, of which the following is a specificatlon.

The object of my invention is t0 prov1de a fruit box of simple, durable and inexpen- 'sive construction. v

A further object is to provide a fruit box ada ted to be made from paper, pressboard, cardboard, or any other suitable material, and to be formed from a single blank properl cut and creased for folding.

till a further object is to provide such-a fruit box so constructed and arranged asto be adapted to be shipped in the flat or to be folded and formed into a completed box without the use of tools, and without the use of any special parts, nails, clips or the like.

Still a further ob ect is to provide such a box having a single bottom member with extensions so arranged as to coact with portions of the side members of the box for forming a solid box, the side of which cannot be collapsed or extended away from the bottom when the box is in use.

My invention consis in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim and illustrated in t e accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a top or plan new of a blank from which my improved box is made Fig. 2 shows a similar view of the blank after one fold of the parts has been made. The box blank in Fig. 2 being a slightly modified form in that it does not have the perforations in the bottom which are shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a completed box, and I Fig. 4 shows a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

In the form of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, I have shown a blank which may be stamped or cut from a sheet of oil paper or the like in the form shown in Fig. 1.

My improved boxes are preferably made 66 of water proof paper of suficient thickness andrigidity to serve the purpose, but may be ma e of any suitable material.

The blank comprises an elongated rectangular member having the vertical creases inicated in the accompanying drawings by the reference character 10, by which the rectangular blank is divided into four side crease 16 near its lower edge. Below the crease 16 is a portion 17 adapted to be folded upwardly and inwardly as shown in Fig. 2, when the box is assem led.

Formed on the portion 17, opposite one of the side members 11, is a bottom member 18 having on its three free sides or edges, the extensions 19 adapted to be folded downwardly when the box is assembl f The corners of the members 19 are cut away at 20 and 21 as shown in Fig. 1 to permit the members 19 to be folded upwardly to vertical position without overlap ping at the ends. The bottom 18 may be made solid as shown in Fig.2, or may be provided with perforations 22, as shown in Fig. 1, forfurnishing air to the contents of the box.

In the folding and assembling the boxes for use, the blank-is laid flat-on a table or the like in the position shown in Fig. 1. The bottom 18 and the strip 17 at the lower end of each side member 11 and the lower end of .the member 12 are folded upwardly adjacent to the members 11 and 12, as shown in Fig. 2. The blank is then raised to vertical position and the bottom member 18 is lowered to horizontal position, and the members 19 are bent downwardly. The members 11 are then folded along the crease 10 at the corners of the box to the" position shown in Fig. 3 withthe members 19 extended downwardly between the members 17 and 11, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The member 14 is inserted throu h the slot 15, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. e box is thus com leted.

e advantage ofa box of this kind from an ordinary wooden box is obvious. In the a plurality first place my boxes may be made from mois ture. roof paper or the like. The ordinary woo en box takes up the juice from the berries,becomes unsanitary, and then attracts iilats and flies, and is impossible to clean.

y boxes, when made of paper or the like, will not take up the berry or fruit juice and can be readily" and easily washed. The ordinary wooden boxes are fastened together by means of tacks or clips and cannot be collapsed for shippin' or storage in the flat.

One type of Woo en box, which is collapsible in form, has a bottom made up of of parts so arranged that they will permit the sides of the box to buckle or bend inwardly. The construction of my improved fruit box is such that the bottom member 18 is of the same size as the interior of the box, so that it engages all four sides of the box and prevents their being bent inwardly.

The members 19 extending downwardly into the space between the members 17 and 11 tend to grip the together against spreading. Even after the box hasbeen completed it may be readily taken apart and laid out in the flat if desired.

My improved box, on account of its peculiar construction, will retain its sha e under almost any condition, as I have ound by filling it with sand both wet and dry.

It will be understood that some changes this application box sides and hold them may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device wlthout departin from its essential features and purposes an any such changes whic ma be included within the scope of my claim. My box may be used with or without a lid.

I claim as my invention:

A collapsible fruit boxcomprisin'g a single blank folded to form the four walls of the box, one wall having at one end an extension overlapping another wall, said extension being provided at its upper ed e near its free end with a vertical slit, tfi overlapped wall bein provided with a horizontal slit to receive 1; e tongue formed adj acent to said first slit, whereb the upper end of the first slit will be insi e of and adjacent to the top of the com leted box in the assembled device, one of t e walls of said box having a portion folded u wardly on the inside, and a bottom secure to the upper edge of said last named portion, the bottom and the other side walls being provided with coacting members for limiting the downward movement of the bottom.

Des Moines, Iowa, May 26, 1915.

ROBERT B. McKEE.

Witnesses J. MAKE-R, A. SHERMAN.

it is my intention to cover by; 

